Massage Therapy Jobs - A Career Worth Pursuing?

I should have married a massage therapist. Don't get me wrong, I love my wife; but how amazing would it be to have that kind of expertise at your disposal each and every day? Of course, there's no telling what the quality of your massage would be compared to your therapist spouse's customers; they are after all, paying for the service. So what goes into being a massage therapist? How the pay is and what kind of training do you need? Let's find out!

It's All About the Money

Back in the days of me being an EMT, I was required to briefly touch people. Having a job where your only requirement is to touch people on a personal basis; I'd need a lot of money to do that. Fortunately for massage therapists, the average annual intake can be around $43,000. This all depends of course on in what capacity you choose to work as a therapist. Right now, the massage industry is said to be booming so it could be a good time to get in on the ground floor if you already haven't. Of course, it's not as simple as walking out the door and saying "I'm a massage therapist now." No. There is training and required certification to be considered.

Licensure and Laws

Currently, the District of Columbia and 37 states require licensing to work as a massage therapist. There are two types of national certification exams and transferring your license from one state to another state is pretty much determined on a state to state basis. Some require retesting, some will transfer with no obligations and some are decided on a case by case decision. There are several categories in which you will need to be knowledgeable:

繚 Professional ethics, legal practices, professional standards and general business
繚 A basic knowledge of the body
繚 Therapeutic massage application
繚 Detailed knowledge of physiology, anatomy and kinesiology
繚 Therapeutic massage assessment
繚 Pathology

If you are nationally certified, you are required to renew that certification every four years. Options for recertification include retesting or a 50-hour refresher course and 200 hours of therapeutic massage experience throughout the four year period.

So You Say You Want the Job?

Even though the industry is, as I said, supposedly booming right now, positions are curiously hard to come across. Maybe it's the evenings and weekends required. Of course, starting your own business is always an option, but that's usually a little further down the line. There are so many facets of massage therapy, including but not limited to:

繚 Hospital massage therapist
繚 Physical therapy/rehab massage therapist
繚 Spa or health club massage therapist
繚 Chiropractic massage therapist

You will also be amazed that there are actually over 160 methods of massage. The Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage, hot stone massage (highly recommended), acupressure and Thai massage are only a few of those available.

The benefits of getting a massage from a qualified massage therapist are too numerous to mention. The benefits to those who choose to pursue massage therapy jobs are probably not as many. But if you can get into a stable place of employment and possibly break out on your own eventually, the job of massage therapist can be rewarding and even truly profitable.